CarbonFeet

Solar power is a good green source of energy and a serious option to consider for your energy needs. Other options such as wind turbines and hydroelectric generator can be used in but for most homes and smaller business solar is one of the most achievable options.

Solar panels and solar power generates power from the sun by converting sunlight to electricity with no moving parts, zero emissions, and no or little maintenance. A solar panel is made up of a series of individual silicon cells that generate electricity from sunlight. As the light hits the surface of the solar panel the light particles produce an electrical current on the surface of small silicon wafers. One single solar cell produces around half a volt of energy.

Smaller solar panels can produce up to 12 volts of energy. These smaller panels contain an average of 36 solar cells. Large solar panels will produce up to 24 volts of energy. These will contain around 72 solar cells.

Whether you use large or small solar panels they can be wired together to create a row or array of panels to increase the amount of energy you can harness from the suns rays. Combining these panels together gives you the added bonus of having a higher voltage output so you can use smaller wires to harness the electric power from the solar panel.

Solar panels have different types depending on the cost and efficiency you want and need. Monocrystalline solar panels is one type that is at the top of the tree. It is possible the most expensive type of solar panel but it is by far the most efficient. What makes this panel so good is that it uses a very pure type of silicon generated in a complicated growth process for the silicon crystals.

The second type of solar panel to consider is Polycrystalline. Polycrystalline solar panels are also known as Multi-crystalline and are made with Polycrystalline cells. This second type of panel is less expensive but it is not as efficient as Monocrystalline cells. This if a result of the cells are not grown in a large block of many crystals.

The Amorphous solar panels are not constructed from crystals like some other types of panel. These Amorphous solar panels have a thin layer of silicon coated on a base material, like metal or like glass. This type of solar panels tends to be less expensive than other market options however they are not so efficient in harnessing the energy from the suns rays.

Solar panels are a real option and a potentially good investment to help save money and energy. After the installation and set up costs that can be expensive and off putting, the payback will work for itself. For homes and small business solar is a real solution to meet the demands of trying to find lower costs energy and reduce your energy bills.

Richard I. Green is an expert on solar panels Scotland and renewable and wind energy. For more information on solar panels and solar pv visit the www.absolutesolarandwind.co.uk and web site.

The Carbon Trust, an organisation in the United Kingdom, helps to give information about you’re carbon footprint. It defines it as “the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, or a product such boiler in your home”. Fossil fuels are one of the contributors to green houses gases. Every time you use energy from fuels such as coal and oil, you are contributing to your own carbon footprint. These carbon emissions contribute to the thinning of our planet’s atmosphere.

Each time you use energy created from a fossil fuel such as coal or oil you are generating carbon emissions. These emissions increase the level of greenhouse gases entering our atmosphere. Simply put your carbon footprint is created by these emissions generated from daily activities such as going to and from work, heating your home and your daily use of computers, TV’s and charging mobile phones.

You can try and do your bit but the products you buy will contribute to your carbon footprint because of the energy that was required to manufacture and transport them. There are many different products available to help you reduce your carbon footprint, and help to reduce your costs.

Your carbon footprint is measured by the quantity of greenhouse gas that you contribute to the atmosphere. This term first originated from carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that is the widely identified as the main contributor to climate change today.

Carbon offsetting schemes include tree planting projects, investing in solar, wind or other renewable energy or investing in growing economies with environmentally friendly crops are good ways to help offset the amount of carbon used in your daily life.

Be proactive and you will be surprised on how much carbon you can reduce. Turn of the TV and other electrical appliances when on standby, turn the heating down one degrees, put the lids on pans are all simple little tips to help.

Do your part and be active in reducing your carbon emissions. This can be done through using a carbon calculator to determine your carbon footprint. It may come as a surprise how much carbon you create going about your day to day life. Highlighting this can help you to think about the changes you can make to reduce your carbon footprint.

Ways to help reduce your carbon emissions can include making few trips to the shops, using electricity at off peak times, using a green energy supplier, and simply turning off the lights when not in the room can all make a difference.

Ian. R. Richardson is an expert author on renewable energy and environmental topics. For more information and news visit for the www.personalcarbon.co.uk and www.tradingpersonalcarbon.co.uk web sites.

For a very long time, we have relied on fossil fuels. It provides heat to our homes, gas for our cars and electricity. Since we are now using it more than ever, there is a consequence. We are depleting our resources and slowly killing our planet. Fortunately, we can change our ways and then shift our attention to green energy sources.

But why green energy sources? Well because there are advantages to using them which we will never be able to get if we dont change our ways. This is also even if some will argue that the problem with green energy is that it is sometimes difficult to generate the power we need. While that may be true, that is why there are other green energy sources available and we just to know which ones are viable given the geographic location.

The various green energy sources such as solar, wind, wave, hydropower and geothermal do not produce anything harmful which may have a negative effect on the environment. This is the exact opposite of what you get when you continue to operate a coal or nuclear power plant.

Coal you have to remember releases carbon dioxide into the air. On its own, it may not cause that much damage but there are currently 50,000 coal plants around the world and that number is expected to grow.

Nuclear plants may not release anything harmful into the air. The issue is how we dispose of the spend rods and if another nuclear accident should occur. We remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. We have probably learned better ways to prevent another incident from happening. Through the years, a few minor accidents have occurred and although the leak was contained, just imagine if it was not?

Every fuel source requires maintenance, including green energy. All energy production sources have maintenance costs. Ethanol production still requires corn to be refined at a refinery. Windmills are mechanical machines. They have parts that must be maintained. Even with these maintenance costs, green energy is still more attractive than fossil fuels.

Green sources have one advantage that fossil fuels cannot compete with. Green energy is renewable. We will NEVER run out of green energy. Sun’s rays have hit the earth for millions of years. These rays have produced wind for millions of years. Utilizing green energy sources reduces America’s dependence on fossil fuels.

If you think about it, many of us have taken these green energy sources for granted. If we do the right thing now, future generations will not have to face the mess that we could have handled on our own years before.

Awareness does not always mean change. Daily we are told that global climate change is here. People are told what they should do. Yet, not even the government is building wind mills or erecting solar panels. Who will lead by example?

When will we realize that we have the solution to environmental, political, and social problems. Green energy will produce a system of renewable energy that fossil fuels cannot. It is time that we commit rather than just talk. We have the power to produce home made energy. YOU have the power to produce home made energy. What are you waiting for? Our world needs you.